I know you all have been eagerly waiting to hear who has won my round the world giveaway…and today, the wait is over. We got thousands of entries and it was really hard to narrow it down. It took me a lot longer to read the entries than I originally thought and it took even longer to narrow down a winner. There were a lot of good submissions but, in the end, there can be only one and I had to pick a winner. And that winner is… Heather T. from …

Spurred by the writing of my next book about my years on the road, I find myself wandering the halls of memory reminiscing about my last decade of travel. I dig through old photos and journal entries. I search Facebook for people I met years ago. Stories and faces long forgotten zoom back into my mind as I wonder where they are and what they are doing. Those whose lives briefly intersected with my own on the highway of life. …

The advantages of taking a gap year or travelling are well known and documented, but if you really want to make the most of your gap year and reap even more benefits, then you should throw a little bit of adventure in there too! Going on a round the world trip or a gap year is an adventure in and …

For the curious traveler, here’s my East Timor travel guide with tips on how to navigate your way around the newest nation in Asia. East Timor, or Timor-Leste as it is called now, is a country that is rarely under the tourist radar. It is after all the newest country in Asia, having gained full independence only in 2002. I was first…

Travel can be stressful, especially if you are heading off on a long term gap year or backpacking trip, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are my top tips for staying stress free on your next trip, most of which have been learned the hard way! Travel isn’t always as easy or glamorous as a lot of people make out. It isn’t always as simple as hopping on a plane and living it up on a…

With one more high profile case of a woman being held against her will and raped in Australia being sensationalised in the media, questions are being asked whether or not Australia is becoming too dangerous for young female backpackers. A recent dramatic rescue by Australian police has brought to light the case of a young British backpacker who had been kidnapped, held against …

With so many amazing destinations to choose from when planning your gap year or backpacking trip for 2017, how do you make a decision on where to go? The Bemused Backpacker 2017 destination guide is here to help you and let you know where all the upcoming destinations are for this year. Here are my personal top picks for where you should be making travel plans…

Travelling with carry on only is an absolute life saver when you are heading off on a trip, making getting through the airports a hell of a lot easier and saving you from the compacted spinal pain from the dreaded backpackers hump later in life, to name just a couple of benefits. But packing a carry on pack is a fine art that not everyone gets right; let me show you how I do it. After years of backpacking around the world I have learned the …

Would you know what to do if something went horribly wrong on your gap year? If something terrible happens while you are travelling and you need to bail quickly, it is essential that you have an exit strategy that will get you out of that situation and to a place of safety…

In a modern digital age travellers are very rarely offline and often have at least one connected device on them at all times. The problem is those devices often have a wealth of personal information about us, our family, our finances, our entire lives, and many travellers do not think about the security or protection of those devices and can leave…

Ben King grew up exploring the wilds that surround Bryson City, North Carolina. He turned this passion into a career when he opened Bryson City Outfitters last April. His quaint, downtown shop houses gear, offers advice, and upholds a community-minded ethos. “Community over commerce,” says King. “Local independent shops have a lot of experience and knowledge to impart…

Is learning a martial art or a bit of self defence a good idea for your gap year? Well the problem is the answer isn’t exactly clear cut. This article asks should you learn self defence before you go travelling and questions whether it is a good idea or not. Alongside the questions of whether taking a gap year is safe, many first time backpackers also ask the…

The question of whether it is really safe to take a gap year or travel around the world comes up a lot, and there is often a lot of confusion between levels of personal fear and genuine danger, so given that it is such an important topic I just want to take a moment to discuss whether travelling the world is safe or not…

November is Travel Safety month on Bemused Backpacker and the whole month is going to be devoted to every aspect of gap year safety and staying safe on your travels. Travel safety is an extremely important topic, and one I devote a lot of time to here on Bemused Backpacker, so much so I have even written two books on the subject and run my own Gap Year Safety Consultation Course. It is important to remember that…